Description:

THE FIVE PEARLS is a story of personal redemption against incredible odds, peppered with teen narcissism, secret pregnancies, and misguided burglaries; A true portrait of under-privileged, throwaway kids in today's America and mismanaged adult lives. This page-turner makes you laugh, makes you cry, and makes you think. ** ### Review Barry Hickey is my American Honore de Balzac. He creates characters no one would, at first sight, sympathize with: a guy leaving jail after 15 years? A bunch of immature teenagers dropping out? A sarcastic school principal? An old lady living in an old house? The author then imbues his characters with a magic formula, using acute observation of the human condition, sensitivity, honesty, imagination, love and hope. The result is a wonderful story, with timely revelations. I closed the book wanting to be part of it. - Guy Tower ### From the Author How the novel evolved: In my last year as a high school English teacher, doctors were running tests to see if I had leukemia. Meanwhile, I had a handful of frustrated teenagers trying piece together their current and future lives. It was a brilliant summer for all of us and my initial idea for The Five Pearls was born. I constructed five angry kids, based on the hundreds I had the pleasure of knowing from the past few years and came up with my final tale.